New partnership to house Gillies McIndoe Research Institute

New partnership to house Gillies McIndoe Research Institute

Wednesday 29 May 2013

After a tireless 15-year campaign, Professor Swee Tan can hardly believe his original vision is about to be fulfilled – a research institute with its own premises, laboratory and staff dedicated to finding more effective treatment for disfiguring and life-threatening conditions, through biomedical research.

Professor Tan and his research team will soon be neighbours with Wellington Regional Hospital as they prepare to move into the upper floor of a building owned by Capital & Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) that is adjacent to the new hospital.

The 426 square metre disused laboratory space, situated above floors occupied by NZ Blood Services, will be upgraded and fitted-out to house the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute (GMRI). The state-of-the-art facilities and equipment will allow researchers to undertake work that is at the forefront of advances in knowledge relating to cancer, birth anomalies and regenerative medicine.

“The lease, which has been agreed to in principle between CCDHB and GMRI but is still subject to Board and Ministerial approval, is the critical turning point for us and a wonderful reward to many committed people for their perseverance and support of Swee’s vision,” says Paul Baines, Chairman of the GMRI Board. “We are delighted that Swee and his team will finally have the research facilities that will allow them to make more rapid progress.”

Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley District Health Board Chair, Dr Virginia Hope, says the Board is delighted to lease the disused laboratory space to the GMRI, to enable them to continue their biomedical research. “The close proximity of the GMRI will further promote and strengthen collaboration with fellow researchers and clinicians at Wellington Regional Hospital, the Otago University’s Wellington Medical School and other universities. Most importantly, this partnership will have a real benefit to the health needs of the wider communities that we serve,” says Dr Hope.

The community support for the project has been a major factor in our success, says Mr Baines. “Many individuals and organisations over the years have helped us to reach this goal. We are delighted to announce that it has all come together, showing tangible results for the hard work so many people have done on our behalf.”

The Gillies McIndoe Research Institute – named after two New Zealand pioneers of plastic surgery - will be directed by Professor Tan, whose team has established an international reputation for their biomedical research. Professor Tan will continue his role as a consultant plastic and cranio-maxillofacial surgeon at Hutt Hospital.

“We particularly wish to thank both Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley District Health Boards who have been very supportive of the GMRI and the work it is doing,” says Mr Baines.

The team led by Professor Tan at the GMRI and their collaborators have already undertaken innovative fundamental research that underpins new clinical applications. They have discovered the origin of strawberry birthmark, a vascular tumour, being stem cells arising from the placenta. They also discovered that the renin-angiotensin system, a hormone system within the body, hitherto known only for its regulation of blood pressure and body fluids, is a vital mechanism in controlling these stem cells. The team’s discovery of the involvement of the renin-angiotensin system in this vascular tumour won the prestigious John Mulliken Prize for the best basic science paper at the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, in April 2010.

“This discovery forms the basis of the treatment of strawberry birthmarks with Propranolol, normally used for treating high blood pressure, causing dramatic regression of these vascular tumours,” says Professor Tan.

The team also succeeded in transforming the strawberry birthmark stem cells into fat cells, bone cells and red blood cells. Their work won the top science prize at the International Confederation of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, Vancouver, Canada in May 2011.

“The international recognition the team has received from the medical and scientific communities bears testimony to the significance of their discoveries. What began as research into disfiguring strawberry birthmarks has ground-breaking implications for cancer treatment and regenerative medicine,” says Mr Baines.

“Imagine if we did this to cancer!” says Professor Tan.

The upgrade to the facility is expected to take around three to four months.
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